FLASH Special Early Autumn 2022 Issue Satsuki, Nagi, Mao Interview

I want to go camping with all 5ki!

The theme of this shoot was a sleepover party during the summer vacation, but what are your summer memories?

Nagi: Camping! My family and I would go to the mountains and cook and eat Gambas al Ajillo every morning. And on the way back, we would stop at a hot spring! At most, I went about 4 times a year.

Mao: Four times!? You went a lot (laugh). I also go once a year, but in the summer I go camping with my family and relatives! I have memories of barbecuing and grilling meat together and also splitting watermelons.

Inoue: I've never split a watermelon! Can you?

Mao: Watermelons are hard to break when you smash them, and I couldn't break mine. My father smacked it and it finally broke!

Satsuki: I have never been camping before. Maybe my summer memories are the beach? I used to go to the beach every year! But I didn't want to get sunburned, so I would just sit in my tent on the beach and watch everyone having fun (laugh).

Mao: Oh right, I also went to the beach, but I don't often go inside. I think the last time I went into the ocean was in the sixth grade of elementary school.

Nagi: Me too. I was once stung by a jellyfish in the sea, and it hurt so much! Since then, I've been too scared to swim in the ocean.

Mao: Also, summer means fireworks! There was a big fireworks display in my hometown, and all my friends and I used to go to see it together. We wore yukata every year!

Satsuki: When I was in elementary school, I wore a yukata to a festival once, but the geta didn't fit my feet “it hurts~ impossible~!” so I had a bitter memory of it (bitter smile)

Nagi: I've been to local festivals, but I've never been to a fireworks display... That's why my dream is wearing a yukata and going to a fireworks display! I'd love to see fireworks while wearing a yukata and eating candied apples!

Mao: That’s nice~ I've never eaten an entire candied apple (laugh).

Satsuki: I've never eaten candy apples! When I think of food stalls at festivals, I think of candied plums. Also, cotton candy and yakisoba.

Nagi: Takoyaki and Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki for me. And baby castella!

Satsuki: Yup, yup! I'll buy at least 2 bags of baby castella!

Mao: For me it’s crepes and a whole pickled cucumber!

Satsuki: I know right, it's delicious!

Nagi: Eh, I've never bought cucumbers. Can't you eat them at home?

Satsuki: Yes, but eating them at home is completely different from eating them at a festival (laugh).

Mao: It's inexpensive, you should try it next time!

Then, if you were to make summer memories with 5th gen, what would you like to do?

Satsuki: I think everyone will definitely say, "I want to go camping.”

Nagi: Yes, we started talking about the camp at the omitatekai (2/23). Since then, when asked "What do you want to do with the 5th gen?” we all started to answer "camping". But is it really possible?

Satsuki: I don't think anyone can build a tent...?

Nagi: Don't worry about that. I can build it!

Satsuki: Oh! Nagi and Mao are good cooks, so we don't have to worry about the food.

Mao: Yes, cooking is my hobby! I made gyoza the other day!

Satsuki: Amazing~!

Nagi: For cooking, Sacchan (Sugawara) and (Tomisato) Nao are a little dangerous.

Satsuki: Yeah, I don't like to use a knife...

Mao: I have cooked with Nao, but I was afraid of her dangerous hands.

Nagi: The other day, Nao was peeling peaches, but she peeled them so thickly that I thought there would be nothing left to eat (laugh).

Now, you have all been members for about six months. Inoue-san told us that the 5th gen quickly got to know each other, starting to play Word Wolf within less than an hour of (first) meeting.

Mao: From the very beginning, everyone was friendly and interesting, and we quickly became friends! When I first met them, they were all talking so happily that I thought they knew each other from the beginning. But when I asked them about it, they said, "We just met!” (laugh).

Nagi: (Ichinose) Miku and (Okamoto) Hina are communication monsters (TL Note: a person with strong communicative skills who can facilitate conversation with others). And I remember Mao talking to me so much. She said, "I'm playing Word Wolf, let's play together.”

Satsuki: I still remember the impression I had of Mao when I first met her! She was wearing a white dress and had longer hair than now.

Nagi: She had such a cute smile, I thought she was an actress!

Mao: No way!

Satsuki: Mao had the aura of an actress and Nagi had the aura of a model. But after six months since we met, I could see the gap between our first impressions. Especially Nagi!

Mao: Yes, yes! She seems to be a perfect girl, but in fact...

Satsuki: She looks like a solid person, but she's not (laugh) (👀👀)

Nagi: At first, I was a bit of a cat person (TL Note: to behave differently from one's usual self toward certain people). But we began to build a relationship of trust, and after the omitatekai, I felt that it was safe to show my true colors to these girls.

Mao: Before I knew it, I had become the kind of girl who, when she got excited, would say, "Yay!” Sacchan is also the same...or maybe it's the same for all of us (laugh).

Satsuki: That's right. (Ikeda) Teresa-chan has also changed a lot. She suddenly started a musical in the dressing room.

Ikeda-san's one-man musical was recreated in "Shin Nogizaka Star!” right?

Mao: Yes, that’s an everyday occurrence.

Nagi: Some people get on it, and some people don't react at all, saying, "It's always been that way."

Satsuki: By the way, I'm in the group that goes along with it.

Nagi: I take videos.

Mao: I wonder if it depends on the day? But 5ki's dressing room is fun!

Satsuki: There are many interesting members in 5ki!

Lastly, the final performance of your national tour at Meiji Jingu Baseball Stadium is just around the corner, so please tell us about your enthusiasm going forward.

Satsuki: After the "Omitatekai" and 10th YEAR BIRTHDAY LIVE, we participated in the national tour for the first time. I hope I can show you my improved appearance at the final show at Jingu.

Mao: This is our first tour, so there are a lot of things we don't know, but we think it’s a great opportunity for us. Recently, I heard an 1ki senpai say, "I feel at ease when 3kis are around," and we hope to grow during this tour so that our senpais can say that to us someday!

Nagi: The 5th gen joined Nogizaka amidst the continuing graduation of our senpais who have built up Nogizaka. It's a bit too early to say "taking over" but I would like to be able to proudly say "we are also (a part of) Nogizaka" in the future, so I would like to absorb a lot during this tour and make a good start as a 5th gen!